Haemorrhagic transformation in ischaemic stroke is more frequent than clinically suspected - A neuropathological study.

Objectives: The vast majority of literature on the frequency of the haemorrhagic transformation of ischaemic stroke is based on imaging studies. The purpose of the present study was to assess the added value of autopsy and neuropathological analysis in a neurology centre with emphasis on acute stroke care.

Methods: We retrospectively analysed the findings of 100 consecutive brain autopsies followed by detailed clinical correlation.

Inclusion body myositis - pathomechanism and lessons from genetics.

Inclusion body myositis is a rare, late-onset myopathy. Both inflammatory and myodegenerative features play an important role in their pathogenesis. Overlapping clinicopathological entities are the familial inclusion body myopathies with or without dementia.

New prognostic score for the prediction of 30-day outcome in spontaneous supratentorial cerebral haemorrhage.

Aims: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate predictors of outcome in primary supratentorial cerebral haemorrhage. Furthermore, we aimed to develop a prognostic model to predict 30-day fatality.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed a database of 156 patients with spontaneous supratentorial haemorrhage to explore the relationship between clinical and CT characteristics and fatal outcome within 30 days using multiple logistic regression analysis.

[Molecular genetics of familial tumour syndromes of the central nervous system].

Although most of the central nervous system tumours are sporadic, rarely they are associated with familial tumour syndromes. These disorders usually present with an autosomal dominant inheritance and neoplasia develops at younger age than in sporadic cases. Most of these tumours are bilateral, multiplex or multifocal.

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP1) and p53 labelling index correlates with tumour grade in meningiomas.

Meningiomas are one of the most frequent intracranial tumours, with 13 histological types and three grades according to the 2007 WHO Classification of Tumours of the Central Nervous System. p53, as one of the most potent tumour suppressor proteins, plays a role in nearly 50% of human tumours. Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) is a DNA repair enzyme with high ATP demand.

[The diagnosis of herpes encephalitis--a case-based update].

Herpes simplex virus encephalitis (HSVE) is a rare and life-threatening infection. The clinical signs are diverse and often misleading regarding the aetiology. However, focal seizure with fever and typical CT/MRI finding should always raise the possibility of HSVE as early diagnosis and antiviral therapy is crucial.

[Diagnosis of cerebral hemorrhage before the era of computed tomography].

Introduction: During the past decades there has been a great progress in neuroimaging methods. Cranial computed tomography is part of the daily routine now and its use allows a fast diagnosis of parenchymal hemorrhage. However, before the availability of computed tomography the differentiation between ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke was based on patient history, physical examination, percutan angiography and cerebrospinal fluid sampling, and the clinical utility could be evaluated by autopsy of deceased patients.

Neuronal caspase-3 and PARP-1 correlate differentially with apoptosis and necrosis in ischemic human stroke.

Apoptotic cell death contributes to neuronal loss in the penumbral region of brain infarction. Activated caspase-3 (ACA-3) cleaves proteins including poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) important in DNA repair, thus promoting apoptosis. Overactivation of PARP-1 depletes NAD(+) and ATP, resulting in necrosis.